They've become popular with some young families here in Wellington, NZ. The more cycle-lanes we put in, the more bikes. It's so cool seeing the kids smiling and loving the ride. The buckets don't carry sheep so well.
Good to hear! Really hope quality bike infrastructure will spread. I am always glad to see people enjoy our Dutch infrastructure, but seeing it develop elsewhere makes me even happier :D
Cargo-bikes are also very common in German cities. I have an electric assist Nihola tricycle to transport my dogs, do groceries or anything else. I use a tricycle, because I have a severely damaged left foot and do not want to have to step down suddenly from my bike. The advantage is, that you can stay seated when waiting for the traffic light to turn green, and that you can pass very slowly and carefully through narrow, crooked passages. I love this cargo bike, wouldn't want to miss it anymore. It is not much of a racer, but still rather fast, and I enjoy riding it, connected with my surroundings, exercising.
London is extremely car centric. There are a few cycle super highways with a lot of bikes, but normally you won't see cargo bikes as cycling in London isn't safe
'Not just bikes' is one of my favourite YT-channels. Thanks for the interesting reaction and for shedding some light on the topic. Our quality of life depends on how we design our cities. And not to have to be addicted to a car, to have options, really means having the freedom to choose your own mode of mobility.
Being dutch, most of my colleagues come to office on a bike. A Bakfiets is less common when commuting, except for parents that bring their kids to kindergarten on the way to work. many collegues use eBikes for distances between 10km and 40km. Me, I live 1km from a train station and office is maybe 2km from a train station. Very walkable and a good exercise everyday. The company I work for has a policy to promote use of public transport and bikes, they pay for using public transport all year long, for work and for private use. Some places here are less accessible by public transport so once in a while I do use a car
I (at 71) ride a cargo tricycle, with a cargo box on the back. Yes it’s slow (non electric assist) but a great workout. Btw there’s a three wheel cargobike that doesn’t tip over, and that’s the Nihola: their center of gravity is below the axle.
I work with one of these maildelivery cargobikes. In fact, I train new colleagues on how to use them. Turning them on is not a problem, and easy to teach. The problem is riding a turn. Colleagues of mine at another location have had several accidents already. On my location no accidents have been recorded yet. Why? When I train a new one with the bakfiets, I teach them how to ride turns. The gravitypoint is around your wasteline. The taller you are, the higher the gravitypoint. So I make it a point of teaching them to prepare for a turn by braking first as to reduce speed, and lean with their torso into the turn, and THEN make the turn while still pedaling. Once they learn that, no accidents will happen. Small people have the advantage here. I myself learned this the hard way, I am 2 meters tall. After my first try, I walked around with bandaids for two weeks because my bakfiets flipped. Classic rookie mistake.
Here in Berlin a lot of people use cargo bikes! We bought one this August to get our kids to the daycare and my wife and I practially use it everyday for the kids but also for transporting groceries. Especially in big cities like Berlin it's way more convenient than using the car or even worse, the public transportation system. I lived in the US long enough to be sure that there definitely is an application for cargo bikes in the US too, especially in the US, since the public transportation system is basically non existent in smaller cities.
There are two cargo bikes that pass my house each morning on the school run, South Hampshire UK. The local schools have a ride/scoot to school policy whilst doing their best to discourage the car use for the school run. Only small steps but getting better each year.
I live adjacent to an area of London that you might describe as arty/middle class. I guess in the streets immediately around me, there must be 10-15 bakfiet owners, who regularly ferry their kids about, transport tools, goods and deliver "artisan" food products. Have to say, they do seem to do the job in an area with relatively low traffic density.
In the Netherlands we have a relative new province called Flevoland. This is all reclaimed land form the sea. All towns and villages where planned within cycle distanse (5km or 3,2m) so also people without a car could get arround easily within 20 minutes you could be in the next town or village
In Belgium you see a lot of "bakfiets". In USA you pay for diesel or petrol for one gallon approximately 3.099 us dollar. In Belgium and even in the Netherlands is more expensive. We use liter , but I converted it to gallons , we pay for one gallon 7.40 us dollars . That's the reason why people use a "bakfiets" , instead of having two cars (pierre)
And your able to get through those street filters that prevent cars from taking short-cuts through neighborhoods. So in cities they are often faster to get around on that using a car. And you don't have to search for parking or pay for parking.
It always astounds how the US is such a huge country yet seems to lack any type of integrated form of mass transit that isn't built around a car or flying. A train system that is primarily designed to prioritise freight catching an internal flight is such a long process getting to the airport can take hours then chuck in another few hours in the airport couple of hours flight then the hassle getting to your destination the day is gone. Unless you change the emphasis from the car. I can walk or cycle to the train station within 30 mins catch a bus all of which have priority over cars be on a train & in London or Glasgow within 3 hours all pretty much hassle free without trying to find a parking space or paying to park you can even bool your bike on the train.
I am always fascinated with you people getting so astonished with things that have been there my whole life 🤷🏼♀️ things that are so normal I don’t even think about it. Biked to school for years, it took me two hours there and back, but everyone did, it was never a topic of discussion, it was a fact of life, thats all it ever was.
We were almost on par with the USA in terms of car usage, but we managed to shift rapidly ! Therefore, the shift from cars to alternative modes of transportation, such as bicycles in the USA, could be achievable provided the automobile industry does not exert excessive influence on infrastructure decisions.
@@MarijnvdSterre if the US would stop building their suburbs and start building suburbs with mixed-use buildings and thigs in a way that cycling and walking are safe and usefull. In time people will flock to those new suburbs and the hell-holes they have now will get abandoned. But they need to start building in a new way for that to happen. If they keep making the same mistakes nothing will change.
10:54 when I studied in Groningen (northern Netherlands) there were plenty of people cycling there each day from other towns like Assen, which is 1.5h by bike, so 3h cycling each day just to get to uni or work. (Now, that’s 28km one way, so only around 18 miles instead of 40.) And people in the US having a bigger distance to commute probably wouldn’t change much, just due to the size of the country and states, that’s understandable. But I think what you’re saying about local infrastructure would still make a huge difference. Image you could take the train for those 40miles to work and cycle home from the train station. Fewer emission, less time cause you’re not stuck in traffic, more exercise and fresh air, more time to read or even work on the train, and so on. There could be an infrastructure that’s less focussed on cars, even if the distances are bigger and at the end of the day it would benefit everybody :‘)
If you had a 40 mile commute in the Netherlands then you'd probably go by train (bikes to get you to/from the station). But one advantage of not owning a car is that you can afford to live somewhere with better connections.
10:53 Here in the Netherlands, it's not uncommon for people to ride their bicycle to their work and cycling for 30km's to get there. But the most won't do it on a bicycle for sure. My neighbor does ride his bicycle to his job which takes him to cycle about 25km's to get there and then to get back again 25km.
I think you might find Active Towns an interesting channel. He's American and documents the changes and challenges in the US really well. Not as flashy as Not Just Bikes, but very interesting nonetheless. His channel really makes me hopeful for bicycle infrastructure in the US. Recently he's visited multiple European countries as well.
Off-topic: I found a video from 'Not just bikes' 'I spend over 12hours in an Amtrax train...'and since you have the comparison to the Netherlands, I think it were fun to watch....or to react😁
11:51 yes you can move furniture with it but it's technically illegal in many european countries because there is a max width limit for a bicycle but no one really cares so it's fine.
You might not have noticed the child pressing the button from the bike at @5:50 Bicycle centred design like this is so important. Currently in my city there are intersections where I have to get off my bike to reach the button. Small changes like this being accessible increase the numbers of people being willing to ride.
I'm moving houses in a few months and will rent a cargo bike to do it. It's just quicker and cheaper than a car moving around in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Driving a car is just a shore and pretty pointless.
Also consider that the car industry does NOT want you to choose another means of transport over a car. And the infrastructure was already adjusted from the start so that everything has to be done by car, (why do you think public transportation is minimal and very bad there) there is something in a law, at least it is called by NotJustBikes, that states that NO shops may be built in a neighborhood/suburb.....gosh, wouldn't the car industry have any influence on that with all their lobbying?...yes. The only ones who can give resistance are the residents of the usa itself...
They are becoming popular in Calgary Ab Canada, usually when I go out for a bike ride in any of the popular areas I'll see at least one bakfiets and a long tail cargobike
Also in Denmark we produce regular Cargo Bikes. The named "Christiania Bike" is one, with a regular square area in front, as the old timer bike with a low regular loading area in front, and named a "Long John" in spite of its Danish Invention, with a remotely controlled front wheel. It is still being produced by Danish SCO bike factory, I think?
You won't get cycling infrastructure in the US until there are more cyclists. 30 - 40 years ago, we didn't have very many cycle paths in Copenhagen either. Then there were coming more and more bicycles, so it was decided to invest in cycle paths. Now they are everywhere.
Actually, Copenhagen town council did a very good job in proclaiming the goal, planning necessary construction , the motivation and they set a good example. It was a well coordinated and communicated effort -- Though more cyclists would have an effect, it could certainly help if the streets/paths were somehow safe enough, maybe spreading from a block or two?
Financially a Bakfiets makes a lot of sense. When you consider what you get the benefits are obvious. You can add to the lack of insurance and licensing costs the fact that you are getting exercise while you are using it meaning you don't need that gym membership (some of which almost cost as much as one of these). The biggest issues with using this in places like the UK where I live are the fact that you are out in the elements (and yes, it rains a lot over here), you would be limited in range by the fact that you can only pedal so fast and that lack of speed limits the amount of journeys you can take within a time frame which effects your opportunities if you need to do deliveries.
I used to do package deliveries on an electrical cargo bike here in NL. We used Urban Arrow bikes with two batteries, and I could easily do over 100km on a day, especially if there's a break at the hub so I can switch batteries for full ones. Of course NL is pretty flat, but I think regarding weather NL and England are quite similar. I've had to deal with hot summers, snowy winters, and a lot of cold rain and wind. We got good raincoats and pants from the boss, so I'd hardly get wet even if it was pouring down. Benefits of the bikes were that they're so flexible. You can go where cars can't, you can easily turn around, never stuck in traffic, and especially in urban settings your average speed would be quite similar whether you're in a van or on an electric cargo bike. It's smaller, relatively quiet and you have a great field of vision. Because of its size you can easily park to the side, without impeding other traffic. That also means you can take a little bit more time for the customers. And indeed, the vehicle is much cheaper. A lot of the issues can be fixed by the rider, even when out and about. We had regular maintenance by a professional, but that meant that all six bikes could be checked and fixed in a single afternoon. I really enjoyed that job. It was nice to be out and about, especially during the pandemic. I got to see a lot of the city I was living at the time, but also surrounding towns. Cycling to a seaside town, and from there on a bike path through the dunes to another seaside town, and then back through more rural areas. It was a great workout, as I generally tried to conserve the battery a bit throughout the day. And it was surprisingly social.
Like Dan said, the weather in The Netherlands is almost the same as the weather in the UK. (I think i read somewhere that on average The Netherlands has even more rainy days than the UK does.) The real problem in The Netherlands is the wind, because the country is so flat we get quite a lot of strong wind and that is worse than rain (in my opinion). You can dress to deal with the rain, you can't put on a poncho against the wind.
@@ChristiaanHW Yes, the frequent, fierce winds can be daunting. I know because I live in Zeeland! Nonetheless, I am delighted to cycle or walk everywhere; being car-free has liberated me. The exercise has also benefitted me.
10:45 I'm Dutch, and I drive about 6 miles to work. And still, I use a car. It's a 10 minute car ride or a 30 minute bike ride. So while a car may be more expensive than a bike, it's cheaper than losing 40 minutes of my spare time every day. And then the car is warm and dry in winter, and cool in summer. It's not all unicorns and rainbows with bikes.
What is also a point is that no one takes a stolen bike seriously. Here in Germany my last two bikes were stolen - they were each chained to one of those bike parking thingies. No one cares or does anything, because they are not as valuable as a car. Most annoying! Even here the mindsets have to change drastically. Great video!
Cars are a great invention, but if a society only uses cars all the time there will be a sort of seperation between people. Even if you are outside the house you are seperated.
The bakfiets is not for the everyday work trips. Unless you commute nearby, of course. Otherwise you will make use of the public transportation. So dont confuse that comparing to work transport. We also use cars when possible on those distances of 20-100 km for private of professional base
i would totally get one but i am poor so i have to use my regular bicycle but it's not a big issue. i am smart so i can carry alot of stuff on my bicycle. it just takes more time to tie it down correctly or put it into a side pannier or something like this.
These heavy bikes is not just all sunshine. They pose a legit danger to other riders with their heavy load and power assist that propel them to speeds well above average. I live in copenhagen, one of the more bicycle dense cities in the world. And modern bikes like this is very polarizing. Some love em, some hate em. And the ones in between is getter fewer and fewer
The problematics with bikes come in when - its winter and slippery and streets become narrow from the snow - when You are not feeling good or healthy and its cold - in case of strong winds and rain and grades - or when You want to transport goods that are sensible against shaking like eggs or some fruits - or when You want to shop in several stores (You cannot really lock Your freight when You want to leave into the next store) - I am not driving a backfiet but a”normal” (not-electrified) bike with a hanger which is in some way comparable practical to a pure freigt bike.
The first images you show contain a short still of the D.C. subway. Probably Metro Center. First time I visited D.C I fell in love with that beautiful design of the ceilings. Later went to New York city. Comparing those two make the NYC Subwaystations look like a shitbox.
10:52 Definitely possible, i know of a 60+ year old that still does that distance daily in the Netherlands. But i only read about him in a paper to be fair.
Very nice video. Don't forget however, importing the Dutch 'fietsstijl' is mainly dependent on the culture of having bikes around in traffic all the time. Most kids bike here. When they start learning at 17 or later for their drivers license, they take into account the bikepaths for granted, so they pay attention. Suppose Canadian cities or US- or UK-cities import this cycling network. If your cardrivers aren't used to pay attention to cyclists, that is a recipe for lots of accidents when turning, or taking up space where bikes have their own prioritized lane.
Why do Americans live so far from work? How much time do you drive past giant driving lots? Across giant intersections that can never be big enough? From a suburb that doesn't allow you to have a shop in walking or biking distance? Made up of land plots that probably need to be that big because timber is a bad sound insulator?
The other thing that seems ancient to us,,,,,is the fact that all you cable infrastructure is festooned on hideous tall poles all over the place ,,,,, all of this unsightly mess over here is underground.
Absolutely! Those ubiquitous telephone poles are hideous. With the urban sprawl, wide roads, motorways, and endless strip development, American cities and towns are, for the most part, depressing and ugly. Before the arrival of the automobile, American cities were quite beautiful. Buffalo was known as "The Queen of the Great Lakes" in 1900. St. Louis was once one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Albeit Dutch, I grew up in California in the '60s and '70s, and I found the cities and towns soul-destroying. Now retired, I live once again in the fatherland, and I am ecstatic... each day.
so american... when you talk about biking you immediately talk about commute to work. Here in the Netherlands not many do the commute by bike, but they do bike everything else. Sure the design is more agreeable, but to instantly compare it to work.. so american. It is also a big reason why we are so much healthier than the US. [without paying big money to those sweatshops you call 'the gym'.
I have had a bike all my life until a knee injury has stopped me riding my lovely Claude Butler roadster. I donated to a Ukranian family who are living in my area. ...You will know that Derbyshire is very hilly in places, so using these bikes here is limited, however, my boiler service repair man has one, and will ride to appointments when he is able, it`s big enough to get his tools etc in. These bikes are obviously popular in the Netherlands due to the flat terrain, if it was like that where I live, I would still have my bike.
In the uk we need better bike infrastructure too! It takes me 35 minutes to get to the gym in the car, 10 minutes of that is sat in traffic. Riding a bike on a road is too terrifying, bikes need their own road. If they make checkpoints for when you get thirsty like garages for bikes and they also sell food and drinks and they could have bike repair shops too. If the road was really safe for bikes and no cars were aloud then many people would give bike riding ago!
JPS your still young but do some reasurch Harley Davidson had some models, the "bak " in front or in the back (trikes) from ice cream, to anything you can imagine.
The most important point to me is, that Netherlands design streets around the needs of cyclists, not car drivers. I live in Germany, close to the Dutch border. In many German cities it is no fun to go by bike, particularly not with a huge Bakfiets.
I grew up in western Germany, very close to the Dutch border. So I'm kind of influenced by the cycling mentality of our neighbours 🙂 What I really like is that they care about bike lanes and roads. Look at the example of Houten - a city in the Netherlands. A German newspaper (Spiegel) made a short film about it. Enjoy: th-cam.com/video/aRji7q_UGcE/w-d-xo.html
@@jackwalker4874 Very true. In the US you have this paradox that more money is spent on new car infrastructure, than on maintaining the existing. So you might drive from a perfect parking lot to a perfect road to cross a bridge that's falling apart. Or just disappear in a pothole if you turn left.
My durch Friend here rides his bicycle here in Bangkok which looks very dangerous. But he knows when it’s time to stop and take it into public transport. He refuses to buy a motorcycle like everyone around him. His TH-cam videos are much quieter without engine noise 😂
What's the reason you _need_ cars in the USA? Zoning. But why is that? Why is it forbidden to build a mix of houses and small shops? And (as a hint) why are lobbies not considered corruption?
I agree with all arguments regarding the use of these cargo bikes. I just find these things sooo ugly 😢 I just can't decide to buy one of those things. I know that's silly...I don't understand it myself
The first bikelane in the Netherlands (it was just a couple hundred of meters on the Maliebaan in the centre of Utrecht) was made because a bunch of people had a bike but no place to ride it. You need the bikes first and the rest will come.
These are a terror in amsterdam just after electric bikes. These ride like they own the road….jump from bikelane onto the road and or sidewalk. In amsterdam these are called expatbikes or Yuppiefietsen. Pure horror.
It's unfair to compare bicycles with cars. Bicycles are cheaper, yes. But walking is cheaper than a bicycle and staying home is even cheaper. It also depends on lifestyle. We have no children and work both for the same company at a 10 minute car drive. We love to take a couple of days off and go out on long weekends to small villages and towns in Germany or Belgium, unaccessible by train, so yes, for us the car is the ideal way to get around. We both have our bicycles but never use them.
As a German (from the German bicycle capital - Münster) I ride my bike very often and I really enjoy it, but I would never think of buying a cargo bike. I only ride my bike´s (off-road, trekking and race - bike) for fitness and fun reasons. Riding such a clunky vehicle is no fun either. These cargo bikes are just a politically left-wing, green statement for Greta Thunberg fans.
These things are becoming a scourge. The things are heavy and a lot of people driving them go way to fast to be safe for other people using the bike paths. The only saving grace is that people driving them are distracted by the kids in front of them instead of behind them as they would be in a car.
They've become popular with some young families here in Wellington, NZ. The more cycle-lanes we put in, the more bikes. It's so cool seeing the kids smiling and loving the ride. The buckets don't carry sheep so well.
You might want to look up the Nihola Dog. 😘
Oh crap, people from Welllington NZ are the Normies now? Eh makes sense.
Good to hear! Really hope quality bike infrastructure will spread. I am always glad to see people enjoy our Dutch infrastructure, but seeing it develop elsewhere makes me even happier :D
Cargo-bikes are also very common in German cities. I have an electric assist Nihola tricycle to transport my dogs, do groceries or anything else. I use a tricycle, because I have a severely damaged left foot and do not want to have to step down suddenly from my bike. The advantage is, that you can stay seated when waiting for the traffic light to turn green, and that you can pass very slowly and carefully through narrow, crooked passages. I love this cargo bike, wouldn't want to miss it anymore. It is not much of a racer, but still rather fast, and I enjoy riding it, connected with my surroundings, exercising.
London is extremely car centric. There are a few cycle super highways with a lot of bikes, but normally you won't see cargo bikes as cycling in London isn't safe
'Not just bikes' is one of my favourite YT-channels.
Thanks for the interesting reaction and for shedding some light on the topic.
Our quality of life depends on how we design our cities.
And not to have to be addicted to a car, to have options, really means having the freedom to choose your own mode of mobility.
If you want your traffic situation to improve, you might want to chech out the channel Strong Towns
Here in the Netherlands people in their 80s & 90s still use a bicycle. Some of them are dangerous, but we cope.
I'd rather have an 80 year old crash into me on a bike, compared to in a car 😅
Old people driving cars are way worse
Yeah, haha. We can cope. Just let the grannies swerve and take up too much space. ❤ At least they are out and about!
Being dutch, most of my colleagues come to office on a bike. A Bakfiets is less common when commuting, except for parents that bring their kids to kindergarten on the way to work. many collegues use eBikes for distances between 10km and 40km. Me, I live 1km from a train station and office is maybe 2km from a train station. Very walkable and a good exercise everyday. The company I work for has a policy to promote use of public transport and bikes, they pay for using public transport all year long, for work and for private use. Some places here are less accessible by public transport so once in a while I do use a car
I (at 71) ride a cargo tricycle, with a cargo box on the back. Yes it’s slow (non electric assist) but a great workout. Btw there’s a three wheel cargobike that doesn’t tip over, and that’s the Nihola: their center of gravity is below the axle.
I work with one of these maildelivery cargobikes. In fact, I train new colleagues on how to use them. Turning them on is not a problem, and easy to teach. The problem is riding a turn. Colleagues of mine at another location have had several accidents already. On my location no accidents have been recorded yet.
Why? When I train a new one with the bakfiets, I teach them how to ride turns. The gravitypoint is around your wasteline. The taller you are, the higher the gravitypoint. So I make it a point of teaching them to prepare for a turn by braking first as to reduce speed, and lean with their torso into the turn, and THEN make the turn while still pedaling.
Once they learn that, no accidents will happen. Small people have the advantage here. I myself learned this the hard way, I am 2 meters tall. After my first try, I walked around with bandaids for two weeks because my bakfiets flipped. Classic rookie mistake.
Here in Berlin a lot of people use cargo bikes! We bought one this August to get our kids to the daycare and my wife and I practially use it everyday for the kids but also for transporting groceries. Especially in big cities like Berlin it's way more convenient than using the car or even worse, the public transportation system. I lived in the US long enough to be sure that there definitely is an application for cargo bikes in the US too, especially in the US, since the public transportation system is basically non existent in smaller cities.
There are two cargo bikes that pass my house each morning on the school run, South Hampshire UK. The local schools have a ride/scoot to school policy whilst doing their best to discourage the car use for the school run. Only small steps but getting better each year.
I live adjacent to an area of London that you might describe as arty/middle class. I guess in the streets immediately around me, there must be 10-15 bakfiet owners, who regularly ferry their kids about, transport tools, goods and deliver "artisan" food products. Have to say, they do seem to do the job in an area with relatively low traffic density.
In the Netherlands we have a relative new province called Flevoland. This is all reclaimed land form the sea. All towns and villages where planned within cycle distanse (5km or 3,2m) so also people without a car could get arround easily within 20 minutes you could be in the next town or village
Can I just say that I like your videos. Your curiosity and willing to learn new things and the way you present speaks to me.
You'll see them in Brooklyn, and they're sold there too - but yes, it's rare.
CARS are one of the main culprits for urban sprawl and the development of the bigger distances between you and your everyday needs and activities.
I think with how wide your roads are it would be easy to create bike paths.
Cargo bikes have become super common in Paris for non-carbon delivery services.
In Belgium you see a lot of "bakfiets". In USA you pay for diesel or petrol for one gallon approximately 3.099 us dollar. In Belgium and even in the Netherlands is more expensive. We use liter , but I converted it to gallons , we pay for one gallon 7.40 us dollars . That's the reason why people use a "bakfiets" , instead of having two cars (pierre)
And your able to get through those street filters that prevent cars from taking short-cuts through neighborhoods.
So in cities they are often faster to get around on that using a car.
And you don't have to search for parking or pay for parking.
It always astounds how the US is such a huge country yet seems to lack any type of integrated form of mass transit that isn't built around a car or flying. A train system that is primarily designed to prioritise freight catching an internal flight is such a long process getting to the airport can take hours then chuck in another few hours in the airport couple of hours flight then the hassle getting to your destination the day is gone.
Unless you change the emphasis from the car. I can walk or cycle to the train station within 30 mins catch a bus all of which have priority over cars be on a train & in London or Glasgow within 3 hours all pretty much hassle free without trying to find a parking space or paying to park you can even bool your bike on the train.
I am always fascinated with you people getting so astonished with things that have been there my whole life 🤷🏼♀️ things that are so normal I don’t even think about it. Biked to school for years, it took me two hours there and back, but everyone did, it was never a topic of discussion, it was a fact of life, thats all it ever was.
We were almost on par with the USA in terms of car usage, but we managed to shift rapidly ! Therefore, the shift from cars to alternative modes of transportation, such as bicycles in the USA, could be achievable provided the automobile industry does not exert excessive influence on infrastructure decisions.
Yes for the cities, however it will be more challenging in the US suburbs. But fixing the cities in itself would be a fantastic change.
@@MarijnvdSterre if the US would stop building their suburbs and start building suburbs with mixed-use buildings and thigs in a way that cycling and walking are safe and usefull.
In time people will flock to those new suburbs and the hell-holes they have now will get abandoned.
But they need to start building in a new way for that to happen.
If they keep making the same mistakes nothing will change.
@@ChristiaanHW Yea, it isn't impossible. But it is more challenging. I am afraid it will take a long time.
10:54 when I studied in Groningen (northern Netherlands) there were plenty of people cycling there each day from other towns like Assen, which is 1.5h by bike, so 3h cycling each day just to get to uni or work. (Now, that’s 28km one way, so only around 18 miles instead of 40.)
And people in the US having a bigger distance to commute probably wouldn’t change much, just due to the size of the country and states, that’s understandable.
But I think what you’re saying about local infrastructure would still make a huge difference. Image you could take the train for those 40miles to work and cycle home from the train station. Fewer emission, less time cause you’re not stuck in traffic, more exercise and fresh air, more time to read or even work on the train, and so on.
There could be an infrastructure that’s less focussed on cars, even if the distances are bigger and at the end of the day it would benefit everybody :‘)
Im 🇬🇧, i do all my shopping on a cargo bike 😍👍 love it
The Dutch are dependent on their bike. In cities traveling by bicycle is quicker than by car. I use my bike to cycle my job daily. (5 miles)
If you had a 40 mile commute in the Netherlands then you'd probably go by train (bikes to get you to/from the station). But one advantage of not owning a car is that you can afford to live somewhere with better connections.
10:53 Here in the Netherlands, it's not uncommon for people to ride their bicycle to their work and cycling for 30km's to get there. But the most won't do it on a bicycle for sure. My neighbor does ride his bicycle to his job which takes him to cycle about 25km's to get there and then to get back again 25km.
I think you might find Active Towns an interesting channel. He's American and documents the changes and challenges in the US really well. Not as flashy as Not Just Bikes, but very interesting nonetheless. His channel really makes me hopeful for bicycle infrastructure in the US. Recently he's visited multiple European countries as well.
Off-topic: I found a video from 'Not just bikes' 'I spend over 12hours in an Amtrax train...'and since you have the comparison to the Netherlands, I think it were fun to watch....or to react😁
11:51 yes you can move furniture with it but it's technically illegal in many european countries because there is a max width limit for a bicycle but no one really cares so it's fine.
You might not have noticed the child pressing the button from the bike at @5:50 Bicycle centred design like this is so important. Currently in my city there are intersections where I have to get off my bike to reach the button. Small changes like this being accessible increase the numbers of people being willing to ride.
I'm moving houses in a few months and will rent a cargo bike to do it. It's just quicker and cheaper than a car moving around in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Driving a car is just a shore and pretty pointless.
Also consider that the car industry does NOT want you to choose another means of transport over a car. And the infrastructure was already adjusted from the start so that everything has to be done by car, (why do you think public transportation is minimal and very bad there) there is something in a law, at least it is called by NotJustBikes, that states that NO shops may be built in a neighborhood/suburb.....gosh, wouldn't the car industry have any influence on that with all their lobbying?...yes. The only ones who can give resistance are the residents of the usa itself...
So, when are you moving here (the Netherlands)?
I was going to say the same!
In Denmark, cargobikes were also known as a Long-John.
Here in denmark i own 3 bicycles , 1 carrier bike 1 racing bike and 1 touring bike , dont own a car but i ride maybe 30 km a day
I saw one in Glasgow's West End with 'Doctor on Call' written on it
Jps, my advice is look at the vlogs of Propel. An american who has bycicle shops in de USA. He imports all sorts of quality bikes.
Hello Joel.I did not realise fancy rickshaws were a thing, never mind the future.
They are becoming popular in Calgary Ab Canada, usually when I go out for a bike ride in any of the popular areas I'll see at least one bakfiets and a long tail cargobike
Also in Denmark we produce regular Cargo Bikes. The named "Christiania Bike" is one, with a regular square area in front, as the old timer bike with a low regular loading area in front, and named a "Long John" in spite of its Danish Invention, with a remotely controlled front wheel. It is still being produced by Danish SCO bike factory, I think?
You won't get cycling infrastructure in the US until there are more cyclists. 30 - 40 years ago, we didn't have very many cycle paths in Copenhagen either. Then there were coming more and more bicycles, so it was decided to invest in cycle paths. Now they are everywhere.
Actually, Copenhagen town council did a very good job in proclaiming the goal, planning necessary construction , the motivation and they set a good example. It was a well coordinated and communicated effort -- Though more cyclists would have an effect, it could certainly help if the streets/paths were somehow safe enough, maybe spreading from a block or two?
Financially a Bakfiets makes a lot of sense. When you consider what you get the benefits are obvious. You can add to the lack of insurance and licensing costs the fact that you are getting exercise while you are using it meaning you don't need that gym membership (some of which almost cost as much as one of these). The biggest issues with using this in places like the UK where I live are the fact that you are out in the elements (and yes, it rains a lot over here), you would be limited in range by the fact that you can only pedal so fast and that lack of speed limits the amount of journeys you can take within a time frame which effects your opportunities if you need to do deliveries.
I used to do package deliveries on an electrical cargo bike here in NL. We used Urban Arrow bikes with two batteries, and I could easily do over 100km on a day, especially if there's a break at the hub so I can switch batteries for full ones. Of course NL is pretty flat, but I think regarding weather NL and England are quite similar. I've had to deal with hot summers, snowy winters, and a lot of cold rain and wind. We got good raincoats and pants from the boss, so I'd hardly get wet even if it was pouring down.
Benefits of the bikes were that they're so flexible. You can go where cars can't, you can easily turn around, never stuck in traffic, and especially in urban settings your average speed would be quite similar whether you're in a van or on an electric cargo bike. It's smaller, relatively quiet and you have a great field of vision. Because of its size you can easily park to the side, without impeding other traffic. That also means you can take a little bit more time for the customers. And indeed, the vehicle is much cheaper. A lot of the issues can be fixed by the rider, even when out and about. We had regular maintenance by a professional, but that meant that all six bikes could be checked and fixed in a single afternoon.
I really enjoyed that job. It was nice to be out and about, especially during the pandemic. I got to see a lot of the city I was living at the time, but also surrounding towns. Cycling to a seaside town, and from there on a bike path through the dunes to another seaside town, and then back through more rural areas. It was a great workout, as I generally tried to conserve the battery a bit throughout the day. And it was surprisingly social.
Like Dan said, the weather in The Netherlands is almost the same as the weather in the UK. (I think i read somewhere that on average The Netherlands has even more rainy days than the UK does.)
The real problem in The Netherlands is the wind, because the country is so flat we get quite a lot of strong wind and that is worse than rain (in my opinion).
You can dress to deal with the rain, you can't put on a poncho against the wind.
@@ChristiaanHW Yes, the frequent, fierce winds can be daunting. I know because I live in Zeeland! Nonetheless, I am delighted to cycle or walk everywhere; being car-free has liberated me. The exercise has also benefitted me.
10:45 I'm Dutch, and I drive about 6 miles to work. And still, I use a car. It's a 10 minute car ride or a 30 minute bike ride. So while a car may be more expensive than a bike, it's cheaper than losing 40 minutes of my spare time every day. And then the car is warm and dry in winter, and cool in summer. It's not all unicorns and rainbows with bikes.
Bicycle lanes everywhere in my city of Victoria Canada.
succes jochie, groten uit Guadeloupe
Box bikes been around, but now the I box bikes are the thing
What is also a point is that no one takes a stolen bike seriously. Here in Germany my last two bikes were stolen - they were each chained to one of those bike parking thingies.
No one cares or does anything, because they are not as valuable as a car. Most annoying!
Even here the mindsets have to change drastically.
Great video!
Cars are a great invention, but if a society only uses cars all the time there will be a sort of seperation between people. Even if you are outside the house you are seperated.
The bakfiets is not for the everyday work trips. Unless you commute nearby, of course. Otherwise you will make use of the public transportation.
So dont confuse that comparing to work transport. We also use cars when possible on those distances of 20-100 km for private of professional base
At this point, people are just making yassified rickshaws. In our case, the basket/holding area is at the back.
i would totally get one but i am poor so i have to use my regular bicycle but it's not a big issue. i am smart so i can carry alot of stuff on my bicycle. it just takes more time to tie it down correctly or put it into a side pannier or something like this.
I've got a 3 wheel one and it's not electric so rarely use it. That's for daily use a bit necessary
These heavy bikes is not just all sunshine.
They pose a legit danger to other riders with their heavy load and power assist that propel them to speeds well above average.
I live in copenhagen, one of the more bicycle dense cities in the world. And modern bikes like this is very polarizing. Some love em, some hate em. And the ones in between is getter fewer and fewer
The problematics with bikes come in when - its winter and slippery and streets become narrow from the snow - when You are not feeling good or healthy and its cold - in case of strong winds and rain and grades - or when You want to transport goods that are sensible against shaking like eggs or some fruits - or when You want to shop in several stores (You cannot really lock Your freight when You want to leave into the next store) - I am not driving a backfiet but a”normal” (not-electrified) bike with a hanger which is in some way comparable practical to a pure freigt bike.
The first images you show contain a short still of the D.C. subway. Probably Metro Center. First time I visited D.C I fell in love with that beautiful design of the ceilings. Later went to New York city. Comparing those two make the NYC Subwaystations look like a shitbox.
10:52 Definitely possible, i know of a 60+ year old that still does that distance daily in the Netherlands. But i only read about him in a paper to be fair.
Very nice video. Don't forget however, importing the Dutch 'fietsstijl' is mainly dependent on the culture of having bikes around in traffic all the time. Most kids bike here. When they start learning at 17 or later for their drivers license, they take into account the bikepaths for granted, so they pay attention.
Suppose Canadian cities or US- or UK-cities import this cycling network. If your cardrivers aren't used to pay attention to cyclists, that is a recipe for lots of accidents when turning, or taking up space where bikes have their own prioritized lane.
Why do Americans live so far from work? How much time do you drive past giant driving lots? Across giant intersections that can never be big enough? From a suburb that doesn't allow you to have a shop in walking or biking distance? Made up of land plots that probably need to be that big because timber is a bad sound insulator?
The other thing that seems ancient to us,,,,,is the fact that all you cable infrastructure is festooned on hideous tall poles all over the place ,,,,, all of this unsightly mess over here is underground.
Absolutely! Those ubiquitous telephone poles are hideous. With the urban sprawl, wide roads, motorways, and endless strip development, American cities and towns are, for the most part, depressing and ugly. Before the arrival of the automobile, American cities were quite beautiful. Buffalo was known as "The Queen of the Great Lakes" in 1900. St. Louis was once one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Albeit Dutch, I grew up in California in the '60s and '70s, and I found the cities and towns soul-destroying. Now retired, I live once again in the fatherland, and I am ecstatic... each day.
so american... when you talk about biking you immediately talk about commute to work. Here in the Netherlands not many do the commute by bike, but they do bike everything else. Sure the design is more agreeable, but to instantly compare it to work.. so american. It is also a big reason why we are so much healthier than the US. [without paying big money to those sweatshops you call 'the gym'.
I have had a bike all my life until a knee injury has stopped me riding my lovely Claude Butler roadster. I donated to a Ukranian family who are living in my area. ...You will know that Derbyshire is very hilly in places, so using these bikes here is limited, however, my boiler service repair man has one, and will ride to appointments when he is able, it`s big enough to get his tools etc in. These bikes are obviously popular in the Netherlands due to the flat terrain, if it was like that where I live, I would still have my bike.
Another best buy ever is the Grabner XR Trekking.
By Grabner Boote.
In the uk we need better bike infrastructure too! It takes me 35 minutes to get to the gym in the car, 10 minutes of that is sat in traffic. Riding a bike on a road is too terrifying, bikes need their own road. If they make checkpoints for when you get thirsty like garages for bikes and they also sell food and drinks and they could have bike repair shops too. If the road was really safe for bikes and no cars were aloud then many people would give bike riding ago!
You do know these bakfiets bikes tend to break in the middle? This year, there has been a huge recall action by the manufacturer.
Every counties in the world need to make places and roads for bicycle an carcos in the verture because of our environment.
they're fantastic... what a great idea
JPS your still young but do some reasurch Harley Davidson had some models, the "bak " in front or in the back (trikes) from ice cream, to anything you can imagine.
It is also worse. Our Dutch kid biked to school age4 with us. Kids age 8 are still sitting in these bikes not movjng at all.
How would you place the picture from your Kappa-shirt inside a Bakfiets-box? Sideways or forward? 🤔
The most important point to me is, that Netherlands design streets around the needs of cyclists, not car drivers. I live in Germany, close to the Dutch border. In many German cities it is no fun to go by bike, particularly not with a huge Bakfiets.
I grew up in western Germany, very close to the Dutch border. So I'm kind of influenced by the cycling mentality of our neighbours 🙂 What I really like is that they care about bike lanes and roads. Look at the example of Houten - a city in the Netherlands. A German newspaper (Spiegel) made a short film about it. Enjoy: th-cam.com/video/aRji7q_UGcE/w-d-xo.html
Small recommendation: Get the sponsor block browser addon to skip over those sponsor segments automatically :)
At a narrow cycle track (in the city) they are very annoying you can hardly pass them , to big just like SUV's in a small city
No, Joel, the narrator is not the "cars' nr 1 ennemy"; it's cars that are the people's nr 1 ennemies!
And taxes at nr 2.
@@hardyvonwinterstein5445 car-centric development is less efficient which means higher taxes than bike-centric infrastructure would
@@jackwalker4874 Very true. In the US you have this paradox that more money is spent on new car infrastructure, than on maintaining the existing. So you might drive from a perfect parking lot to a perfect road to cross a bridge that's falling apart. Or just disappear in a pothole if you turn left.
My durch Friend here rides his bicycle here in Bangkok which looks very dangerous. But he knows when it’s time to stop and take it into public transport. He refuses to buy a motorcycle like everyone around him. His TH-cam videos are much quieter without engine noise 😂
Dude! Learn the keyboard shortcuts! ;) Love the vids man.
What's the reason you _need_ cars in the USA? Zoning.
But why is that? Why is it forbidden to build a mix of houses and small shops?
And (as a hint) why are lobbies not considered corruption?
🚴🚴🚴
Cars aren't bad, they just shouldn't be the only tool in town. Almost like: to a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail
It's ALL about the INFRASTRUCTURE, baby!
I drive by train for five hours to work🎉
I agree with all arguments regarding the use of these cargo bikes. I just find these things sooo ugly 😢 I just can't decide to buy one of those things. I know that's silly...I don't understand it myself
Brilliant them x
You need to move to the Netherlands
If I were you I’d wait until you move to Europe. ✌✌✌✌✌🇳🇱
You should buy a bakfiets. There's no incentive to invest in infrastructure when then are no bikes to facilitate.
The first bikelane in the Netherlands (it was just a couple hundred of meters on the Maliebaan in the centre of Utrecht) was made because a bunch of people had a bike but no place to ride it. You need the bikes first and the rest will come.
Don't forget! Holland is very flat and very small so short distances.
Yes, you are right; however, the wet, windy weather can make cycling challenging!
These are a terror in amsterdam just after electric bikes.
These ride like they own the road….jump from bikelane onto the road and or sidewalk.
In amsterdam these are called expatbikes or Yuppiefietsen.
Pure horror.
Investigate the electric bike.
Shame they are so expensive
It's unfair to compare bicycles with cars. Bicycles are cheaper, yes. But walking is cheaper than a bicycle and staying home is even cheaper. It also depends on lifestyle. We have no children and work both for the same company at a 10 minute car drive. We love to take a couple of days off and go out on long weekends to small villages and towns in Germany or Belgium, unaccessible by train, so yes, for us the car is the ideal way to get around. We both have our bicycles but never use them.
People in america need better driving education and maybe some higher requirements to pass to make stuff safer.
I can tell you, it does not replace a car. It's good to go to the shop to buy food and stuff, but you can't fit an entire family in it.
You put your own airbags in the front👿
#get him a bakfiets?
Cycling
22 hour
bakfiets not backfiets
perhaps you wonna say bark fiets
As a German (from the German bicycle capital - Münster) I ride my bike very often and I really enjoy it, but I would never think of buying a cargo bike. I only ride my bike´s (off-road, trekking and race - bike) for fitness and fun reasons. Riding such a clunky vehicle is no fun either. These cargo bikes are just a politically left-wing, green statement for Greta Thunberg fans.
These things are becoming a scourge. The things are heavy and a lot of people driving them go way to fast to be safe for other people using the bike paths. The only saving grace is that people driving them are distracted by the kids in front of them instead of behind them as they would be in a car.
Those young parent idiots. Driving around the kids. At the end of the say they are tired and the kids are full of energy.
Genius parents.
0:52 but you don't care about the kids working the kobalt mines for your electric vehicle. Just saying
Go glue yourself on the A12. And stop complaining about everything. You are right but we have heard plenty of that lately.